An entrance plaza at the new Fayetteville Woodpeckers (High A; Carolina League) ballpark will be named in honor of the late Bill Hurley, a one-time mayor of the city.
Set to open this spring, the new Fayetteville ballpark will anchor a larger development project in the city’s downtown area. A plaza in front of the ballpark will be named in honor of Hurley, who served as Fayetteville’s mayor from 1981-1987. He received credit for his downtown revitalization efforts over his three terms as mayor, and later served in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Hurley died in November at the of 85, and there has been a push locally to dedicate the ballpark’s plaza in his memory. That effort culminated in Monday’s unanimous decision by the Fayetteville City Council to move forward with the dedication. More from the Fayetteville Observer:
In a public hearing before the council, four speakers spoke in favor of naming the plaza for Hurley.
Even though a naming vote was not formally scheduled, the council decided to go ahead and name the plaza after Hurley following the public hearing. The motion was made by Councilman Jim Arp.
Hurley’s family members were in the audience, including Mark Hurley, the oldest of the one-time mayor’s three sons.
“First of all, we want to thank the entire city of Fayetteville for the support we have received during our father’s passing,” Mark Hurley said. “It has truly been amazing to us. We are a part of a wonderful city.”
The new Fayetteville ballpark is slated to be part of a broader downtown redevelopment initiative that includes the renovation of the Prince Charles Hotel, 84,000 square feet of office space, a hotel, residential and retail. The Woodpeckers are scheduled to play their home opener at the ballpark on April 18.
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